According to this article, a guy that wrote a virus has been convicted and has to put in some jail time and pay a fine of $27,000.
The weird thing is that according to the article, he has to pay his fine to Microsoft! Isn't that what a civil case is for? Shouldn't a criminal case (one that doles out jail time, etc.) result in fines payed to the government, like other fines? (do we pay parking ticket fines to the auto-manufacturer, because the infraction was done with their vehicle?)
I understand that MS may want some money because it discourages their credibility, etc. but that would be done in a civil lawsuit where they sue him for damage to their business, right?
Can anyone help me out understanding this one? |
